The Rise of The Invincible Girl
by Schnee Soda
Summary: Pyrrha Nikos was nervous. No. She was REALLY nervous for her first tournament match. Her hands were shaking, her heart was beating so fast it might explode, and she could hardly breathe. The Invincible Girl wasn't always a student of Beacon or the celebrity fighter she is now. In the beginning, she was simply a teenage girl entering the biggest tournament in the kingdom.
1. Chapter 1

**For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all. Infinite in distance and unbound by death, I release your soul, and by my shoulder, protect thee.**

* * *

My hands were shaking.

They were shaking and my mind was in a million places at once and I couldn't breathe and everything felt numb and-

 _Calm down. Close your eyes. Loosen your grip on Milo. Take a deep breath and just… relax._

Following the steps my mother told me to do to calm down, I looked up from the ground at the screen showcasing the second to last fight of the tournament.

A muscular woman swung her humongous greatsword wildly at her opponent, her face as red as a tomato from exhaustion. Her aura was below half, and she has yet to land a single good hit on the other contestant. He ducked and weaved around the attacks, agile as a fox as he whittled her down with his scimitar and kicks.

The woman obviously got qualified for the tournament for her sheer strength, but I could tell she wasn't a technical fighter. Her form was all wrong, her attacks only served to make her more tired, and her temper was leading to her defeat. She wasn't thinking and was relying mostly on her instincts right now, which was costing her the battle.

I looked back down, not finding the battle to be very interesting. Curling my hands into fists, I took another deep breath and closed my eyes. _Remember your training and you'll be fine_. I've worked my entire life to compete in the tournament, I don't plan to lose in my first match. But still…

My head shot back up once I heard the crowd roar in approval. The agile man held his hand up high as if accepting the applause. His opponent laid flat on the ground, her rising and falling chest the only sign that she was still conscious. The casters and analysts talked about the match for a few minutes before the stage was cleared.

I stood up and straightened my armor and hair, hands shaking all the while. My heart was pounding right out of its chest, not ready for the battle to come. The person by the entrance beckoned me forward, stepping to side to let me through. With shallow breaths, I stepped into the hallway that will lead me to my first ever tournament battle.

Walking in this hallway… it felt like I was walking into my doom. The closer I got, the louder the audience became. The louder the audience became, the more my arms shook and my heart pounded. The more my arms shook and my heart pounded, the more I panicked.

Can I still back out of this? Forfeit and pretend this never happened? I stopped, the click clacking of my boots coming to a halt. I could do that…

No. I've worked too hard for this to back out now. Every day since I was seven my parents trained me until I was no longer able to stand, and then drilled me even more. I would be dishonoring my family's legacy if I ran away due to nerves.

With that resolve I pressed forward, determined to win.

"...now everyone, a new contestant approaches. From the prestigious combat school of Sanctum, let us welcome Pyrrhaaaaaaaa Nikos! "

* * *

I couldn't move.

The moment I stepped out of the tunnel, the flashing lights and the screaming crowd enveloped me entirely. My mouth was hanging open at the sheer number of people watching, and I almost dropped my weapons onto the floor due to the shock.

The audience. My god, the audience. They held up banners, signs, billboards, pictures, everything. Their shouts and roared shook the floor beneath me. Divided into two separate semicircles, the seats and people encircled the interior of the building. It was too much for me.

It wasn't until someone shook my shoulder that I broke out of my reverie. Deep breaths, Pyrrha. Once I felt like I've calmed down, I continued on slowly, the sounds of my boots hitting the floor unheard in the bellows of the crowd.

Cameras flashed as I walked, reporters and photographers eager to see the newest contestant to the Mistral Regional Tournament. I felt a little uncomfortable from the attention, shying my eyes away from the blinking lights.

Once I stepped onto the stadium floor, a blue sphere surrounded the stage. No doubt it was a protective barrier to protect the audience from any of the combatant's attacks. It did muffle the noise of the crowd, but it was still quite audible.

Relaxing my grip on Milo and Akouo, I directed my gaze to the opposite side of the arena. A burly man rested the head of his battle-axe on the floor and waved to the crowd with his other hand. He was easily twice my size and dressed in leather armor and a horned helmet.

Bistre Umber. I recognized him from some of the matches I've watched. He has participated in the tournament for over five years now, and has gotten far in every run, although he has yet to win a single one. His axe can break the sturdiest of guards and swing blindly fast. Because of his unrelenting ferocity, he has been dubbed the "Rookie Killer" due to easily overwhelming newcomers who aren't prepared or experienced.

Inwardly, my mind raced. How was I supposed to beat him? From what I gathered from reviewing the opponents, he's clearly more powerful than me, and can move just as fast as me if not faster. My shield won't be of much use here since a single swing from that axe will send me flying. I'd have to somehow beat him without relying on my physical prowess.

"Hey, you look really shaken. Relax a bit, eh? It's no fun when your opponent is too nervous to even fight."

I looked to see him smiling casually, now hefting his giant double-bladed axe onto his shoulder. His warm brown eyes bore less hostility and more friendliness. I didn't miss how he tensed up just now though. Despite his friendly demeanor, he was no doubt looking forward to the fight.

"Ah," I started, "I'm just… I'm just a little overwhelmed by all this. The audience, the lights… everything."

He laughed, "I know how you feel. It was like that for me too first time I came here. Don't worry, _if_ you stick around you'll get used to it."

I couldn't help but notice the emphasis he placed on that keyword. Maybe he was accustomed to battling people he'll never see again. That would certainly explain his title.

Nevertheless, we didn't get much longer to talk as the announcer began to count down. My muscles tensed, my vision focused, and I let the screams of the crowd fade away.

"Three!"

I felt in my element now, most of the nervousness has disappeared. All the waiting around and cameras and people were unfamiliar to me but battling? Fighting is what I've been doing my entire life.

"Two!"

This is what I was born to do. The years of training has all led up this battle, and now I'll prove all that hard work paid off.

"One!"

It was my destiny.

"Begin!"

* * *

This did not start how I expected it to.

Bistre winked at me before leaping up in the air at impossible heights, raising his axe above his head with both his hands. Before I could even process what was happening, he was already coming down like a meteor onto me.

I rolled out of the way just milliseconds before he smashed the ground like a bomb. The shockwave that followed still managed to knock me back.

This power… what was I supposed to do?

"Not bad, not bad," I hear the monstrous man say, "Most people would be too shocked to even get out of the way. Show me a good time!"

I peek over my shield to find him charging at me with his shoulder pointed straight at my shield, his axe trailing behind him. Just before he crashed into my shield with the power of a wrecking ball, I dashed to the side, narrowly avoiding the devastating hit.

 _Phew, maybe I can get some breathing room-_

I felt my eyes widening when he turned around almost instantly to bring his axe down onto my shield. The blow pushed me back a couple meters, and I could've sworn my aura flashed for a brief moment. My arms felt like it was on fire from holding that shield up. The audience let out a collective "ooooh" at the devastating blow. Gods, if I haven't trained as much as I did that would've…

No time to think about that! I rolled out of the away again as he rushed and swung his axe horizontally at my head. The next few moments were a blur of weaving and dodging the devastating strikes. My breath was getting heavy, every single muscle was burning with exertion. What… what was I supposed to do?

Then I realized. Everything about him, his power, speed, and even his title. They're all to inspire fear into his challengers, especially newcomers. Every inexperienced contestant would be too scared to press an attack on him in fear of being on the receiving end of his axe. But… if I go on the offensive on him, can I?...

As he swung his axe at my head for what felt like the hundredth time, I ducked and stepped into his guard. Pushing past my aching muscles, I let out a loud, savage cry and slammed Akouo into his midsection with both my hands, mustering all the strength I had left in that hit.

A surprised, pained grunt came out of his mouth as my shield left his stomach. I hit him again, and again, and again. I wasn't going to stop until one of us fell. His axe was too big to actually hit me this close, and I took full advantage of that.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw him raise his axe above his head, the butt of the hilt pointing straight at me. I dashed to left, narrowly dodging the desperate move by the man.

He backed off, panting from the exchange. Not giving him a single second to recover, I shift Milo into its rifle form and crouched down. Placing it on the crescent opening of Akouo, I set my sights on him and fired.

He spun his axe around in a circle to block all of it, clearly experienced with deflecting bullets-but his heavy breathing suggested he couldn't keep this up. I let a grin crawl onto my face. I can do this. Just fight smart and proactively instead of being too scared to fight back.

"Alright rookie," he panted, "this was fun and all, but it's time to end this."

With ear-deafening roar, he bolted towards me with his axe trailing on the floor behind him, the axehead hidden from my view. What was he planning? He knew I can dodge out of the way and he knew I can fight him close up now.

Switching Milo to its sword form, I raised my shield and prepared to confront him head on after his blow. I dodged to the side right as he brought down his axe and prepared to punish him for such a risky move.

What I didn't expect was a huge fiery explosion to erupt from the axe. Yelping in surprise, it caught me and sent me flying into the air. Landing with a thump, I tumbled around for a bit before coming to a stop.

Pain. It was all I could feel as I put my hands on the floor, trying to push myself up. Everytime I tried, I only fell back down. With the few vestiges of energy I had left, I looked to find Bistre in a similar state, panting and exhausted from the effort. Two crystals in the center of both blades of the axe glowed red. Damn it, how did I forget he had fire dust?

I pushed myself, trying to stand up before he did, to try and finish this match before he did. A brief glance at the aura levels up above told me that we were both millimeters away from dropping into the red. That explosion must've hurt him just as much as it hurt me. With that thought, my legs begin to stand back up, energized by being so close to beating my opponent.

It wasn't enough.

"Well Nikos… it was fun, but I'll be taking this win."

The man stood up, hefted his axe, and slowly stepped towards me. The audience cheered for him to finish me off. I still couldn't stand up. Was I going to lose my debut match?

No. No! There must be something, some way to win. As he got closer and closer, a plan popped into my mind. It was farfetched and probably wasn't going to work, but I had to try. He was clearly injured, and most likely wasn't expecting anything of me.

I needed to wait for the right moment. The right moment… when will that be? When he's walking towards me? No… he still has time to counter it that way. I'll have to do it when he's about to hit me.

My hand tightened its hold on Milo. I needed to time this perfectly. Five more steps… four more steps… three… two… one…

He lifted his axe above his head, ready to end this match.

I wasn't going to let him.

I shifted Milo into its rifle form and pulled the trigger right as he was bringing down his axe for the finishing blow. The gunfire silenced the crowd as Bistre jolted backwards, his eyes growing wider than saucers in surprise. His axe fell from his hands and clanged onto the floor. The buzzer sounded, signalling that his aura level has fallen into the red.

For a moment, the entire building was silent. The man's hand grasped the area where the bullet found its mark, no doubt feeling intense pain that even his aura and armor couldn't protect against.

Until he collapsed onto the ground, no longer able to stand up.

The audience roared in approval, clapping and screaming. I saw the barrier fall away, allowing me to fully hear their shouts.

"What a way to end off today's matches folks! Pyrrha Nikos, the newest contestant to enter the tournament, has just defeated the Rookie Killer! I think she's going to go far everyone, and I think I won't be the only saying that I'll be looking forward to it!"

The announcer's voice didn't reach my ears as I shakily stood up, stunned by the applause. The adrenaline coursing in my body continued to run at an all time high as I turned my head to look the crowd before me. My heart was pounding, trying to leap out of my chest to the audience. It enchanted me, captivated me. I want to hear this again. I want to win again!

"Pyrrha! Pyrrha! Pyrrha! Pyrrha!" They chanted, over and over again.

I lifted my shield up, earning even more applause. This is what I've been training for, and I can't wait for the next time I fight.

* * *

 **Author's Notes: SPOILER WARNING, don't read unless you've watched all of Volume 3.**

 **I've had this idea bouncing in my head for a while, but Pyrrha's death in the show was a pretty good motivator. Instead of a fix-fic, memories, or how characters deal with her death, I wanted to make a fic of her tournament life before Beacon.**

 **Now onto the story itself. You may have noticed she didn't use her semblance at all during this fight. Once I get to a certain point, I'll explain why. As for the tournament structure, I plan on making this either a single-elimination or double-elimination tournament, though I'm leaning more towards a single one. A double elimination one WOULD allow Pyrrha to lose and still win the tournament, creating more drama, but it would also sorta invalidate her Invincible Girl title. If any of you have any opinions on this, please share it. Also, in case you're worried this story will only be focused on the tournament, I will be writing about her life outside the tournament as well.**

 **I'm not sure how often I will update this, but I'll try my best to see it through. I would appreciate any constructive criticism any of you might have so that I might become a better writer.**


	2. Chapter 2

**For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all. Infinite in distance and unbound by death, I release your soul, and by my shoulder, protect thee.**

* * *

I was glad to be free from the hundreds of interviewers eager to learn more about the newest contestant defeating the Rookie Killer. If it wasn't for my parents managing to pull me out and shoo them away, I don't know what I would've done. Even when I stepped into the car though, I was still running high on adrenaline. The intense battle with Bistre still left its mark on me and the energetic crowd did little to prevent that either.

"Ace, you were amazing in that fight!" Mom spoke up from the driver's seat, "It was like seeing a mini-version of your father battle it out."

I blushed at the praise, "Moooooom!"

"Oh don't be so embarrassed," she chided, "Just don't scare us like that when he hit you with that explosion. It really-"

"It was rather careless of you."

My head shot up at my father speaking for the first time since the match. It hit me unexpectedly deep. I would've thought after defeating such a powerful opponent that he would be proud but…

Mom came to my rescue, "Honey, now isn't the time to chastise her. Our little tiger just won her first match! We should be celebrating, not criticizing her."

"We went over and reviewed all the opponents," my father continued as if he didn't hear her, "You should've known he had fire dust and been prepared for it."

I looked down, "I'm sorry father."

All the adrenaline dissipated in an instant. No matter how angry it made me felt, I couldn't deny those words. We had reviewed and I shouldn't have been caught off guard by it.

"Don't listen to him. You did great out there," Mom reassured me, " Anybody can forget things in the heat of the moment. Now turn those frowns upside down you two. I don't even need to see it to know."

Oh, bless my mom. I managed to smile, maybe not the biggest of ones, but I did. It seemed to have quieted my father too, as he stopped pointing out the mistakes I made during the fight.

She added one last thing, "When we get home, we're going to make a celebratory dinner and take a break from training for a day. Understood?"

That last part seemed to have been pointed at my father, but he didn't show any signs of noticing it. More importantly though, the thought of getting to eat something more than simple vegetables, grains, and legumes excited me. Maybe I can even get some fish stew or baked goods. Or maybe… I drooled at the thought of eating some chicken or steak.

Before I could get lost in my food fantasies however, we stopped near our house, a simple two story building made with orangeish-red bricks. It wasn't anything too special and I wouldn't have it any other way. Luxuries caused you to become lazy, weak, and self-indulgent. That's what my father told me anyways.

We got out of the car and made our way into our house, though every step sent an ache of pain through my legs. Bistre gave me a real beating, and it seemed like my legs didn't forget it.

Mom noticed my limp, "Take a seat on the couch and relax, ace. You've earned it."

I gladly took her up on that offer, "Thanks Mom."

Again, my father didn't seem to argue. I watched as he stepped out of sight towards the basement where we kept all our exercise equipment at. I found his passiveness a bit weird, though I guess my mom really has that effect on people. Normally I would go with him to train and spar but today's going to be a special day. Mom and I will make sure of it.

Just as I was starting to relax, a knock sounded on the door. Oh great. Reporters at the door already? I closed my eyes and tried to block out the noise. _Just let me rest…_

No luck, and it seemed as if Mom heard it too, "Ace, can you get it? I'm a little busy here."

"On my way Mom…" I drawled, stretching my arms before standing up. A jolt of pain soared through my legs again, though it was a little less sharp. After limping towards the door, I reached my hand out and turned the knob.

Only to be pulled into a bear crushing hug.

"Pyrrha! I saw the match and you did _amazing_! I just had to come over to congratulate you."

"Amaranth," I gasped, tapping her on the back, "Need… air!"

"Oops! Sorry."

I was released from the hug of death only for the girl to put her hands on my shoulders, a bright smile on her face. Her red eyes glittered with excitement and she giddily began to recount the events of the fight.

"...and then you were like BAM with your shield and he went oof and then you kept hitting him and then there was an explosion and then and then-" She stopped, taking her hands off me to catch her breath,

"Breath, Amaranth," I laughed, "It wasn't all that impressive, he just got careless."

"Bah!" She scoffed, "Don't be so modest. You crushed a tournament veteran in your first match. C'mon! Show a little more pride."

"Alright alright," I laughed, "Let's get to the kitchen. We're having a celebratory dinner today!"

She scrunched up her face, "Celery and beans again? Nooooo thank you!"

I shook my head, "Nope! Mom's going to cook something special today."

Amaranth tilted her head, her medium length orange hair falling with her, "Doesn't your dad usually make the food?"

"Yes, but he only cooks vegetables and legumes. Mom makes the really good stuff."

"Well, okay," she shrugged, "I guess it can't get much worse."

We both laughed and made our way into the kitchen. Like the house, it wasn't anything too grand, containing the bare necessities of a table and seats, a stove, several cabinets and cupboards, and a sink. Mom stood above a cutting board with a knife, taking the scales off and cutting it up. A sizable pan sat on the stove, the sound of sizzling breaking the silence of the room.

She noticed our presence the moment we stepped in, looking up and smiling at the sight of us, "Ah, Amaranth! I didn't know you were coming tonight. Do you mind having some fish stew?"

Her eyes lit up, "Ooh! I would love some!"

Mom laughed, "Well, sit still for a few more minutes. It'll take a bit before it's ready."

The both of us sat down and chatted as we waited. She told me there wasn't any homework at school besides studying your fight. I found that a little strange. There wasn't much to learn from my fight in my opinion. Amaranth also told me a lot of people were jealous, but she shut them up for me. I shook my head at that. My best friend can be a little hotheaded at the best of times.

"You're super lucky that you get to skip school until the tournament is over," she whined, "It's no fun without you here."

"One more month Amaranth," I laughed, "I've got to train really hard for the fights."

She sighed, "I know, I know. Promise me we'll spar the moment you get back alright? Everyone else can't even come close to beating me."

"I promise."

We continued to talk after the food was done, my mom jumping in a few times. My father came in midway, sweating and breathing heavily. He performed some stretches before joining us for dinner, nodding to Amaranth. The topic was changed to the tournament when he came in, discussing the match and the future fights.

"You were outmatched in both strength and speed," my father pointed out, "Though I'm willing to look past that since you took advantage of his close range weakness, and the face you can't really bulk up to his level yet. What I'm _not_ willing to look past is the dust explosion."

"She couldn't have known Mr. Nikos," Amaranth argued, "The axe-head was hidden from view."

He sighed, clearly a bit exasperated, "You don't need to see it to know he was going for that move. Bistre is known for hiding the axe when he goes in for that attack. We went over this Pyrrha, when he does it, how he does it, and why he does it."

I looked down, suddenly losing my appetite, "I'm sorry father. It won't happen again."

"That's all I ask for. Remember your training, stay calm and collected in the fight, and analyze the situation to prepare accordingly."

Stay calm and collected? How was I supposed to do that with the crowd roaring in the background? It felt hard to even move. I took my father's words to heart anyway, knowing he had experience in this subject. Maybe the nervousness will go away after a while like Bistre said.

Hopefully it will, or else I'll never be able to follow my father's advice.

* * *

" _What did you think of today's matches, Mr. Frost? Is there anybody you're keeping your eye on?"_

I sat on my bed, hunched over the only source of light in the room, my scroll. It was currently showing the highlights and interviews of several of the contestants. Three of them sat with the interviewer right now, chatting about various points of the battles.

" _None really. I don't think any of them will be able to challenge me for the title. However, that newcomer… Pyrrha Nikos was it?_

My breath caught as I heard them talking about me. Grey Frost, three time Mistral Regional Tournament champion was talking about _me_! Pyrrha Nikos!

" _Yeah, she gave me a real beating alright. The girl's talented for sure. Clever too."_

Bistre scratched the back of his head awkwardly, as if a little embarrassed he lost to me. I ignored that little bit though since I was too excited to care.

" _Yes, I agree with Bistre. She's a prodigy and has obviously trained hard from a very young age. I'll be very interested to see how far she goes."_

I couldn't help but blush at the praise given to me by the reigning champion. I tuned in mostly to hear more in depth analysis of the fights, but this was fine too I guess.

" _Planning on losing, Grey?"_

The third person finally spoke up, a woman dressed in full plate armor. That was Marigold Persimmon, a veteran of the tournament. She was the former champion before Grey if I remembered correctly…

" _Hardly. I won't lose like you did. This is my last tournament before I become a full-time huntsman. I don't plan on losing to a 14 year-old rookie, no matter how talented she is."_

They all laughed, causing me to frown. He was right. Grey was about to graduate Haven Academy, and Marigold was already a part-time huntress. How would I, a teenage girl, be able to defeat them? Before I could think more on this, the interviewer turned to the cameras to signal the end of the show.

" _Well, that's it for today ladies and gentleman. You heard it from the tournament fighters firsthand, the newcomer is sure to set a blazing trail through the round robin tournament. But will she be able to combat the current reigning champion? Or will he break the record and get his fourth tournament victory? Find out next time, on the Mistral Regional Tournament!"_

I shut my scroll closed, troubled from what I've heard. I almost lost to Bistre and although he was a formidable fighter, he was nothing compared to Grey and Marigold. Would I even be able to land a hit against them?

My self-doubt began to rise up once more. What if I lose? Would I be forced to lie on the ground like Bistre did, hearing the crowd cheer against you? I wanted to hear the crowd cheer for me again. But I… I don't know what would happen to me if I lost. I could already picture my parents' disappointed faces, their heads shaking in disapproval. I could already hear the crowd cheer for the other opponent, their hands and weapons rising to receive them while I laid flat on the ground, defeated. I could already-

"Ace, are you okay?"

I snapped out of my panicked thoughts to see that the lights have been turned on. I looked to the side to find my pajama-clad mother, her brown eyes twinkling with worry.

"I'm fine." I lied. Should I tell her what I'm feeling right now? What would she say to me? Would she be disappointed or angry?

"No you're not." She stated, like it was a proven fact. Mom didn't speak for a few moments, waiting to see if I would say anything, before sighing and sitting beside me on my bed.

"Ace, you know you can tell me. It's about the tournament, isn't it?"

I swiveled my head to face her, "How did you know?"

"I'm your mother, Ace. I know these things," she quirked an eyebrow, "So? What is it?"

"Ah… well," I started, trying to find the right words, "I'm a little scared about losing." I stopped, waiting for her to say something, get confused or incredulous, anything.

Instead she nodded and said, "Go on."

"W-well," I stuttered, "When I won against Bistre, the cheers of the crowds…" I furrowed my eyebrows, trying to find the right word to describe it, " _enchanted_ me. I wanted to hear it again. It was such a great feeling to come home with a victory."

"But when I listened to champions like Grey and Marigold talk about the matches in the interview, I got worried. I don't know if I'll be able to even put up a good fight against them. I don't want to lie on the ground, hearing the crowd cheering for the other opponent. And…"

"And?" My mom prompted.

I averted my eyes, "And I don't want to see your disappointed faces when I come home from a lost."

" _Pyrrha._ " My heart began to beat faster. She only ever said my name when she was really angry with me. What was she going to say? Oh I shouldn't have told her-

My thoughts were cut off when two hands enveloped me in an embrace.

"I will always love you, no matter what. What kind of parent would I be if I stopped that because of a loss? Just try your best and learn from your mistakes. Nobody expects you to defeat veterans like Grey or Marigold, and nobody expects you to win every single match."

I sat stunned for a few moments, not expecting this outcome. Eventually though, I lifted my arms and hugged her as well, my hands resting on top of my mom's red hair, "Mom…"

"Shh shh shh…" She whispered, "I know what you're going through. It's okay. Every tournament fighter experiences it. I know I did."

My eyes widened, "You were a tournament fighter?"

She pulled back from the hug, smiling confidently, "Of course. How do you think I met your father?"

"You never told me."

Her grin faltered, settling into a more sad and reminiscent smile, "Those days are behind me. I prefer not to talk about it." She stood up, looking down at me once more with caring eyes, "Are you feeling better now?"

I nodded, "Y-yeah. I'm still a little nervous though."

"That's perfectly normal. If you weren't nervous, I'd be surprised."

We remained silent for a while, neither of us speaking up. Eventually, I looked up with a smile, "Thanks, Mom."

She returned it, ruffling my hair and turning back towards the door, "Anything for you, Ace." She closed the door behind her quietly, leaving me to myself.

I laid down and placed my head onto my pillow, thinking about what my mom said. I won't lose the support of my family and friends if I lose. I'm also not the only one that goes through this. And most importantly, Mom was a tournament fighter! I always thought my father was the only one who participated, but it explained why she's able to take over my training if he was ever unavailable.

When I closed my eyes, I felt like a weight has been taken from my shoulders. I was still nervous, but I don't think I'll ever stop that. I wasn't afraid of losing anymore though. No, that was the wrong way to put it…

I wasn't fearful of what people would think of me if I lost anymore. I would still hate to lose, and I'll train extra hard to prevent it, but the thought of my family supporting me no matter what comforted me as my conscious drifted into sleep.

* * *

 **Author Notes:**

 **This chapter was a lot harder to write than the first one. Combat and action is easy. Talking scenes are hard. Please, give me whatever constructive criticism you have. Tell me what you think of the new characters introduced here. And in case you didn't notice, this story will contain A LOT of OC's, seeing as pretty much no one from the main story has shown evidence of ever interacting with Pyrrha before Beacon besides maybe Weiss, and even that is debatable. I also settled on a tournament structure- a round robin. That means everyone faces everyone at least once, so expect lots of fights! Next chapter should contain a fight, so stay tuned for that!**

 **KnowNonsense-Thanks for the review! The explanation for her lack of polarity will come, so don't worry.**


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